What Mission!
by Spicy Lime 63
Summary: Naruto and the rookie nine are sent on a mission, but our loveable blond gets more than he bargained for. Something is up with this princess and what is with that fox? WARNING: has coarse language
1. the new mission

Disclaimer:

I don't own Naruto… But at least I own Itachi!!

(Itachi randomly pops up) No you don't. (Spicy Lime squeals in joy and glomps Itachi).

ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU!!

Please get off me.

Never.

--

Well…I hope u all like this new fic. It popped into my head like yesterday and I have a huuuge outline of what's going to happen. Besides that…I'm winging it like usual. So please forgive me if it's crap. ALSO: Please R&R!! It's greatly appreciated. Thanks and onto the movie!…I mean…fic. (smiles nervously)

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in Konoha. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. It was a quiet and peaceful day. That is, until it was broken by a scream. It was a scream of pure horror. A scream that shattered glass that was in a close proximity to that cry of utter fear. What was the source of this noise? What could have possibly made that awful sound? These questions have one answer. Uzumaki Naruto. A happy-go-lucky boy with bright blond hair and blue eyes. He has three whisker marks on each cheek and wears too much orange.

Currently, he's in the Hokage tower with the entire rookie nine.

Right before the scream… it went something like this:

"Alright, you are all called here today because it's a very special mission. You are all supposed to escort a princess to her home." Tsunade said.

Sasuke just grunted. "What's so special about this princess that she needs three teams?" The others just nodded in agreement.

"Well, she's a very important princess and she's wanted by very, very dangerous people. She just wanted to make sure that she would have extra protection." The Godaime answered back.

"Sounds like a real snob." Kiba said while leaning against the wall. Akamaru barked in agreement.

She just sighed. 'This is going to be a long day.' She thought.

"This will be counted as an A-rank mission. Do you all accept?" Tsunade asked. The teams had all perked up at the A-ranked mission part and readily agreed.

"Alright. You will be escorting princess Yuu Akane." Naruto went deathly pale at that name and shut up completely. They just stared at him funny.

"A-Are you okay, N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly. He snapped out of his daze and looked at her, thought still a little pale.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Could you repeat that name, Obaa-chan?"

She just nodded. "Sure. Her name is Yuu Akane." The blond just nodded and sat there rigidly. Tsunade frowned a little at his behavior. 'Something's up with this.' she thought.

"Alright. Now that the trivialities are out of the way, bring her in." Naruto's eyes went wide with worry. This didn't go unnoticed by the Jounins and the Hokage.

The next second, a young girl came walking in. She had short, blond hair that went to the base of her neck and bright green eyes that practically glowed. She was wearing a white kimono with red roses on it. She wore red sandals that accented her dainty ankles and had on numerous silver bracelets and necklaces on. She had on a light red lipstick, accenting her budding lips and a light eye shadow and blush.

The boys all stared in awe and some blushed, except Naruto. The girls were all annoyed, except Hinata, and glared at the girl.

"Hello. I hope that you all take good care of me on this little trip." She said with a blush and a curtsey. She slowly looked at the group going to each and every person.

Her gaze momentarily stopped on Naruto and lingered there for a few minutes with mischief in her eyes. She grinned and then continued looking over everyone.

The Hokage then stood up. "Nice to see you. When and where would you like the teams to meet you tomorrow?" she asked her.

She turned towards her. "I would like to meet up with them at the North gate at about… say, seven a.m." Akane said with an affirming nod. The three teams all nodded.

"Good. Now all of you are dismissed." she then turned towards Akane. "My men shall escort you to your hotel for the night." She said as two Anbu appeared and walked her out.

The entire rookie nine were lingering inside the Hokage tower, having nothing to do they were walking slowly.

Out of the blue, someone screamed. Glass shattered from the windows around them. They looked around frantically and saw an upset Naruto huffing and puffing from his long scream.

"Damn. Damn. Damn, damn, damn!!" he screamed and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a pretty big crater with cracks going up and down the wall. The others just stared at him with various looks of curiosity. He took his hand out of the crater and just looked at them.

"What? Haven't you ever seen someone punch a hole in a wall?" Of course they all had. With Tsunade punching someone through a wall or two everyday, how could they not? It was just really odd that the hyperactive blond had done it.

He finally got fed up with the staring and started walking again; leaving the rest of the rookie nine wonder what that was about.

As Naruto walked home, his head was filled with thoughts. Mainly thoughts about the princess.

'What am I going to do now?' he thought as he fell onto his bed.

* * *

The next day:

All the teams were awaiting the princess to arrive. Even Kakashi had made it on time.

They were all pissed off that she had said to be there at seven and it was already ten! Although, Naruto was sitting by the wall, not really agitated. Almost as though he expected this.

Finally, at 10:30, she appeared. She was wearing a black tube top with on strap on, which just so happened to "fall" off. She also had on a black plaited mini skirt that had a little red criss-cross pattern. She also had on black sandals. She had her hair up in pigtails. Her make-up was the same as yesterday, but she had on a blood red nail polish that accented everything.

The guys were yet again drooling, except Naruto, while the girls were glaring, except for Hinata. Yet again, Akane blushed.

"Sorry for being late. I was busy getting ready and I didn't wake up until eight. I'm deeply sorry." She said sweetly, although her eyes stated something completely different. The only one that noticed it was Naruto, who just glared at her.

"Now that everyone's here, why don't we start on our way?" Kurenai said, severly agitated that she had to wait for this spoiled brat. She wanted to go, and she wanted to go _now_.

"Yes! Let's go!" Akane shouted in joy as she started running to the front of them. Just as she started running, her guards came running up to the group huffing and puffing.

"Princess. Wait! You need us to guard you." The one managed to wheeze out. They had been chasing her all day. She had slipped away from them on the way to the gate.

The entire group stopped and she groaned. When they finally caught up to her, the group continued on their way.

* * *

It was night when they finally stopped. They all pitched up tents and prepared for the night. Although, they didn't plan on Akane not having a tent.

"Um, I don't have anywhere to sleep. So, I've decided that I'm going to sleep with one of you." She said in a demanding voice.

"I can share a tent with you!" Kiba shouted. She just stared at him as though he were joking.

"I know! I'll sleep with Naruto!" she said happily. This of course made everyone stop and stare. Even the sounds of the forest stopped dead and there was pure silence. Naruto just groaned.

"I think you should sleep with one of the girls, Akane." He said. Kiba just stared at the blond in disgust. 'How in the hell could that idiot say no to that?!' he thought in anger/disgust. The girls looked on in wonder. Wonder in the fact that Naruto, a boy, just said that he wouldn't share a tent with Akane, a girl. The guys also stared in wonder of the same thing. Although; the Jounins, except Kakashi, were quite happy that the blond was being mature.

Akane had different plans. She went over and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and said, "But, Naruto-kuuun, I _really_ want to sleep in your tent."

"Fine. You can sleep in my tent." He said while prying her arms off. He then went into his tent and came out carrying his sleeping bag. "I'll sleep out here." She just stared with mild anger.

After that, the rest of the night was relatively quiet. When the group got tired, they decided on guard duty. It would be Asuma, Naruto, Kurenai, Shino, and then Hinata.

When Naruto was woken up for guard duty, he went up into a tree and picked a thick branch to sit on. As he sat there, his mind was yet again jumbled from all of the thoughts that were continuously popping up and disappearing moments later.

After a little while, he felt a presence coming up to him. He prepared for battle, but was surprised by who it actually was. It was Akane.

"What are you doing up, _princess_?" he asked in a mocking tone. She just hmph'ed and leaned against the tree.

"Well, Naru-kun. You should know by now. I came to see you." She slowly walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's been so long. You should've come back. There's total chaos at home. And I've been lonely without you." She added the last part with a kiss.

He just shrugged her off. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going back. I hate it there."

"You're going there anyway to escort me back home. There's something that's been bugging me though. Why do you look like _that_?" she asked in a disgusted voice. Then all of a sudden, she appeared all happy and uttered one word. "Kai!" was shouted and a poof of smoke appeared where Naruto's angry face was.

"You should seriously stay this way, Naru-kun. You're soo hot this way. That other form you had with the hideous orange was disgusting. I know! I order you to stay like this." she announced.

When the smoke disappeared, there was a strange looking boy standing there, shrouded by the shadows.

"You shouldn't have done that. You might have woken the others." He said angrily.

"Who cares? I know that I don't."

"Fine then. If I'm going to be like this, then you're going to change too. Kai." And with that, another poof shrouded the area.

A giggle came from the source of the smoke. "You're sooo much fun, Naru-kun." She announced as she came out of the smoke. Swaying tail and ears could be seen though the gray haze as she came closer.

* * *

Well, that's it for now and I hope you like it. I don't know how many times I've redone this chapter. It didn't turn out exactly how I sort-of planned it, but I think it's ok for now. I didn't really know how to put the ending of this I sort-of planned something completely different, but I now have this huge idea of what I'm going to do. GRRRR!! I'm trying to rant about something, but it's not working very well without saying about the next chap. that I'm going to be posting very soon. SHIT! Oh wells. I guess I'll tell u in the next chap. kay? kay. I'll see you all very soon my loves and I hope you enjoyed the start of this new fic. Taaaa Taaaa, my loves!! (in other words…byes for now!)


	2. surprise!

Disclaimer:

I don't own Naruto… But at least I own Itachi!!

(Itachi randomly pops up) No you don't. (Spicy Lime squeals in joy and glomps Itachi).

ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU!!

Please get off me.

Never.

--

Well…I hope you all liked the last chapter. If you're reading this, then you probably did…or you just don't have anything better to do. Well… here you go anyways and please R&R. Thanks sooo much for reading and I love you all.

Onto the story….!

* * *

Last time:

A giggle came from the source of the smoke. "You're sooo much fun, Naru-kun." She announced as she came out of the smoke. Swaying tail and ears could be seen though the gray haze as she came closer.

* * *

As the smoke cleared from the area two figures could be seen. One was that of a girl and the other was that of a boy. The girl was Akane and the boy was Naruto.

Akane stepped out of the shadows and could clearly be seen. She has flowing red hair that was put into low pigtails that start at the base of the neck and goes down to her mid-back. She has short bangs that frame the face. Her eyes are a startling green that have slits for the pupils. She is wearing a dress that goes to mid-thigh. It's open (a little too much) on the sides. It has open shoulders and back, but connects by a collar around the neck. Where the dress would reveal too much, there are wrappings. One around the upper-torso and one from the hips down to her mid-thighs. Her dress is black with a red flower in the middle and red trim. Her nails are painted black and her make-up is the same as she had on when she arrived in the Hokage tower.

But what stands out the most is that she has eight swaying, red fox tails and ears. She also has three whisker marks across each cheek.

"Naru-kun. I haven't seen you for such a long time. Why don't you come out of the shadows so I can see your pretty face?" she asked while walking closer.

Naruto came out of the shadows and could be seen clearly in the moonlight. He has pitch-black hair with some gold streaks. His hair is in a long ponytail that goes to mid-back. He has long bangs that have red tips. His eyes are a glowing amethyst with slits for pupils. He has on a black overcoat that goes to the floor. It has red flames decorating the bottom along with red trimming. Underneath that, he has on a black muscle shirt. He has on baggy pants that are such a deep red that they look almost black. The pants have a lot of hidden pockets that can hide numerous objects. With all of this, he has on a pair of black ninja sandals. On his hands, he's wearing a pair of blackish-red fingerless gloves.

He also has some unusual features. He has nine onyx black fox tails and ears that have golden tips. He also has three whisker marks on each cheek, like usual.

"Hello, Akane. You shouldn't have done this. By the way… why did you ask Konoha for some teams to escort you home? I know for a fact that you can handle yourself quite well." He said in a disbelieving voice.

"Hmph. For your information, I heard rumors that you were hiding in Konoha as a Genin and I wanted to see for myself. That's why I specifically asked for the best Genin teams to escort me home. By the way, we are going home." She smirked at this. All he did was cringe. "Now that I know where you're at, you're staying there with me. You have to anyway. Ooooohh. The Council's gonna flip when they find out!" she said in joy while she twirled around in joy.

Naruto sighed deeply at this. 'Kami! This woman's impossible!! Why did this have to happen now?' he thought.

"How about this…" Naruto started. Akame just stared, wondering what he was about to say. "When we get to the village, I'll stay. But, you won't say anything what-so-ever about this until we get to the village. We'll also have to tell the Hokage about this when it happens." Naruto opened the eyes that he didn't even know he had closed and looked at Akane.

Akane was deep in thought. All of a sudden, she looked at him and decided. "Alright. That's fine with me, but if anyone else besides me finds out about you, you'll have to explain and everything." At the end she smiled viciously.

The black-haired youth noticed this and quickly added, "That's okay, but you can't do anything to help them out. Deal?" he asked while extending his hand. Akane looked sad at first when he said about her not helping the humans figure it out, but then perked up and shook.

"Deal."

Little did they know that someone was watching them from the shadows with glowing eyes.

* * *

The next morning:

Everyone was starting to wake up when they heard an inhuman shout. After that there was a loud crashing and a boom. They were all on guard when they saw something coming through the surrounding bushes.

It was… Naruto?

The blond came out of the bushes while rubbing his sore spots. Everyone sighed.

"What the hell were you doing?!" Sakura screamed, causing the blond even more pain.

"If you must know, I slept in a tree because Little Miss Princess here was using my tent. Something hit me and I fell down. Quite far down, actually." He said with his trademark foxy grin. Everyone just stared at the stupidity.

A yawn interrupted the entire scene and out came Akane. "G'morning everyone! Isn't it a bright and sun shiny day?" she asked. The entire group looked around at the dark sky above that was lightning every once in a while.

"But it's going to storm. It's not technically sun shiny when it's storming out." Ino said while looking at the stormy sky. The clouds looked like they were about to burst at any minute.

"But I **love** storms! They're soo much fun! I sleep better during them, too!" she said in her chipper voice.

Some of the team members slowly backed away from the cackling girl and her crazy ways.

After a couple of good, long minutes, Akane finally settled down and stopped her maniacal giggling/cackling and stated, "We should go now." She nodded and grabbed her little backpack of things. Naruto and the others grabbed their tents and went on their way, trailing after her.

Although, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. He shook his head and continued on his way. Just after he had passed a rather large bush, a pair of glowing eyes appeared.

* * *

After only a few hours of walking, it started to pour sheets of rain. It was so bad that they could no longer see a few feet in front of them. They all unanimously decided that they should stop for a while until the rain stops. The majority of votes were from princess Akane.

When they stopped they all pulled out their tents and went into them for cover. Akane had rushed under Hinata's tent because she was closest. Sadly, for her, Naruto was the farthest from her.

As the blond huddled under his tent, he heard some rustling from a nearby bush. He quickly took out a kunai and prepared for anything. Suddenly, something jumped out of the bush and into Naruto's tent. The blond fell over from the impact and looked up at his attacker. It was a cute little fox. It looked like a little kit, only older.

As the fox cuddled up to Naruto, it licked his cheek and laid down on his lap.

Naruto just sighed. "Why is this all happening to me _now_?" he said to himself. The fox lifted its head and tilted it in question. "Stop looking at me like that. It's true." He said. The fox just put her head back down and tried to sleep while the blond just shook his head. As the fox started to fall asleep, he whispered in her ear, "I know what you're doing here."

After a few more minutes the rain settled down and the sky was just lightning. The group decided that it was okay to continue on their way. Akane, having nothing to do, decided to go help Naruto pack up his tent.

When she saw his tent was still up and he wasn't putting it away, she figured that he was asleep. So, she opened up his tent and saw something that surprised her. Naruto was fast asleep while cuddling with a little fox as though it were a teddy bear. She growled as she noticed the fox cuddling closer.

So, she did the only thing that came to mind. She started kicking and smacking Naruto. With each smack she would say a word. "Get. Up. Now. You. Frustrating. Blond!!" With a final kick she stopped and started to control herself. Naruto just slowly sat up, still holding the fox in one arm and rubbing his eye with the other.

"What? Why do I hurt all over?" he asked the fuming Akane.

"You are sleeping and the rest of the group is waiting for you. And by the way… who's this that you're cuddling up to?" she asked in a harsh tone. Naruto looked around frantically, confused as to what she was asking.

"What? Who am I 'cuddling up to?'" he asked.

"Her." She said and pointed to the fox he was still holding.

"Oh. She just came in here to get out of the storm." He lied. Of course he knows who she is. How could he not? He just didn't want Akane to find out too soon. He didn't want to have to deal with an angry princess.

She gave him a suspicious look, but left it at that and stormed out. He sighed in relief.

'Time to put this away I guess.' He thought to himself. He then looked down at the fox that had just woken up. "You might as well come with me. Not like you're gonna leave me alone now." He said. She yipped happily and hopped up on his shoulder.

He finally got out of the tent and quickly packed it away. The others just stared at him.

"What took you so long?! Why's there a fox on your shoulder?" an angry Sakura asked. The Jounins perked up when they heard Sakura say the word "fox."

"She just hopped into my tent to get out of the rain and decided that she wanted to stay. Got a problem with it?" he asked. The fox, sensing his slight anger, growled at the pink-haired girl. She quickly backed up. Naruto just smirked and pat the fox on the head. "Anyone else have a problem with it?" he asked and glared at Akane to shut her up from saying anything.

With that, they were on their way again.

After a few miles, Chouji asked, "How much farther is it, princess?" Shikamaru, who was walking next to him nodded his head.

"Yes. You haven't said where it is at."

The guards who've kept quiet the entire time, chimed in. "We're just a few more miles away from the village. Once we reach the Living Oak of Protection, we're there." This left everyone wondering what the Living Oak of Protection is. And so the journey continued.

It was actually a very short way. After about three more days of traveling, the guards and Akane stopped. Naruto noticed the tree right away, but said nothing. It would be a little suspicious.

The group was basically in the middle of a clearing. Akane walked up to the Oak.

"Give me a kunai." She stated. One of the guards gave her a kunai. She held it up to her hand and cut it. The group stared at her and then understood what she was doing. She swiped the blood onto the Oak and the two trees next to it and said, "Kai."

All of a sudden, a huge gate appeared. Akane walked towards it a little bit and stopped. Two figures jumped out of the shadows.

"Halt! Who is it?" the first one asked.

"It is princess Akane. I have come with three teams from Konoha." She then walked up to the guard and whispered something into his ear. The guard's eyes went wide.

"Please enter. It's been a while." He added the last part a little hesitantly.

As they entered, they saw a huge village that looked a lot like Konoha. The only difference is that this village seems to be molded to fit the forest. The Konoha teams were amazed at the village. But, what stood out the most were the people. There weren't that many people out and all that were stayed very silent and just stared at the people with untrusting eyes. There were also many foxes of all shapes and sizes wandering around. This confused the group a lot. Shouldn't there be more people out?

They finally came to the center of the village where there was an enormous tree. The building wrapped around it and went almost all the way up.

'This must be the where the king is.' Thought most of the group.

Before they went up, the fox that was on Naruto's shoulder jumped off. But, not before he whispered, "I'll see you later." The fox nodded and jumped off. No one noticed this exchange.

As they walked through the tower, numerous people stared at the group as though wondering what they were doing.

When they finally got to the main room, they heard someone say, "Come in."

They went inside and were surprised to see a room full of people who were shrouded by the shadows. There were many who started to whisper when they went inside.

The princess stepped out in front of them and cleared her throat to quiet them all down. "As you know… I went away to try and find my fiancé. Well, now I'm back. These people behind me are three teams from Konoha. They were escorting me back. The reason for this is that I've found him. And he's right here." She said and turned towards the group.

The three Konoha teams looked at one another wondering what she was talking about when all of a sudden, Naruto walked out in front and sighed heavily.

"Hey. What's up?" he asked the Council as they gasped. The group behind him looked at him

"Dobe, get over here. Stop embarrassing yourself." Sasuke said annoyed that Naruto was being stupid and getting all the attention.

As soon as he said that, many guard had their kunais up to his throat. The group were on the defensive when they saw this. All of a sudden a booming voice could be heard over all the commotion.

"STOP!! Guards, please put your weapons away. What is the meaning of this? What is going on?"

The princess had had enough. "Naruto! Will you please answer him?! Geez. I've had enough of you stupid nobles!" she shouted. Naruto laughed at this.

"You're one too, idiot." Naruto said jokingly.

Asuma had finally had enough of this guessing game and spoke up. "What is going on? Can someone please explain because we're all for a loop here." The rest nodded in agreement.

The booming voice sighed and came down from his seat and out of the shadows. He was an old man with many wrinkles. He had on a blood red robe with black lining. His eyes were a pale brown, but shone with a youth that couldn't possibly be there. But, what shocked the group in front of him was the fact that he had nine gray fox tails swaying behind him, two droopy fox ears, and three whisker marks on each cheek.

"Naruto. Would you please greet me properly?" he asked. The blond suddenly glomped the old man. Everyone was shocked at this.

"Hello, gramps." He said. The old man smiled and released the blond. He then frowned.

"What's with this goofy form? You look so much better in your regular one." The teams in front of them were even more confused than before.

Akane decided to speak up. "I agree, Naru-kun. You should change. You're sooo much hotter like that."

"Then you should too, Akane. It would only be fair." She sighed and nodded in agreement.

All of a sudden, the two teens' form started to get hazy and shift. Naruto and Akane had changed into the forms that they had when they "met" that first night. Everyone in the room gasped.

The council all stood up and started to bow. They all said, "It's nice to see you again, Prince and Princess."

* * *

So how y'all like that?! MWUAHAHAHA! Don't worry. This won't be a really short fic. It will be a romance type one. Sort of like Romeo and Juliet with a really really big twist and not sooo sad. I still have to add the special surprise. I think I will in the next chap. Well…I hope you all actually keep reading this. It would be sad if you peoples don't. You would be all like "OMFG! This fic. sucks! I'm not reading this anymore!" And I'll be all like "Noooo! (cries and starts playing with lighter) Pretty light will help me. Yes. My precious will help me. (starts snuggling with lighter) Preeeecccciouuussssss." And you'll be all like "Dude, WTF?!" and then you'll all run away in fear. Yeah. Um…now I forgot what I was gonna say. Crap!! Oh wells. Byes for now I guess. Yeah. Byes my pretties!


	3. where am i?

Disclaimer:

I don't own Naruto… But at least I own Itachi!!

(Itachi randomly pops up) No you don't. (Spicy Lime squeals in joy and glomps Itachi).

ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU!!

Please get off me.

Never.

--

Well…I hope you all liked the last chapter. If you're reading this, then you probably did…or you just don't have anything better to do. Well… here you go anyways and please R&R. Thanks sooo much for reading and I love you all.

Onto the story….!

* * *

Last time:

All of a sudden, the two teens' form started to get hazy and shift. Naruto and Akane had changed into the forms that they had when they "met" that first night. Everyone in the room gasped.

The council all stood up and started to bow. They all said, "It's nice to see you again, Prince and Princess."

* * *

The three teams from Konoha gasped at the sight. In front of them was Naruto. But, not the blond, idiotic, hyperactive Naruto. This Naruto seems cool, collected, and observant. This Naruto also happened to be some sort of fox demon. To top it all off, he's a prince!

"What's going on here? I think we deserve an explanation." Kakashi said to the council in front of him. The Genin and Jounin in front of him all agreed with the statement. They all looked expectantly at the group in front of them for an explanation.

Naruto turned towards the man that he had once called sensei. "Kakashi-san, I will explain everything." He then turned towards the council gathered before him and continued. "I will explain everything in Konoha. If I don't, then there might be some controversy between our two groups." He stated. The council started whispering.

The old fox, head of the council, decided to speak up. "You may go, Naruto. We understand. But, you will also bring three others from the council with you along with a few guards." The onyx-haired youth nodded and bowed.

"Thank you for understanding." He started to walk out, when a slight coughing caught his attention. He turned around and remembered that he had forgotten about Akane and the teams from Konoha. "Follow me, please." He stated as Akane followed closed on his heels along with the others.

The old man laughed slightly at the scene that had transpired only moments before.

Naruto was walking through numerous hallways in the giant building when he stopped suddenly and turned around. He scanned the group slowly, taking in all the emotions that he could. He sighed heavily when he saw almost everyone glaring at him.

"Alright. I'm going to give you all a brief description of what's going on, but you're going to have to wait until we reach Konoha for the full story." He said. He waited for a reply and was rewarded with numerous nods.

"Basically, I'm a fox-demon. So is Akane. I am the fox prince right now from the Nine-tails side. Akane is a princess from the Eight-tails side. I am betrothed to her right now. Also, it would be wise if none of you were to interact too much with the people here. There are a lot of rules to be followed and if you misstep even once, you could die. Just a warning. Now. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your rooms." He said and started walking again.

Akane was walking with the three teams when Sakura asked, "How long will we be staying here?" She was more than a little worried with all of the demons walking around.

Akane turned to her while still following Naruto. "You will be staying for the rest of today. We don't really like foreigners, let alone humans. The old ones especially." She said. The Jounin noticed how she spat out the word "humans" as though it were a poison. They didn't like that fact.

After a few more minutes she added, "By the way. Listen to what Naru-kun said. You should not interact with the people here. As he said, one misstep and you could die." After that, she ran to catch up to her fiancé, leaving the others to follow in their wake.

All of a sudden, Naruto stopped. "Here are your rooms. Please follow me." And with that, he went inside a pair of double doors. The teams followed a little hesitantly, but went inside.

They were greeted with a lush room that had fluffy couches and a huge kitchen. The room was a cream color with some gold and evergreen trim and mahogany floor. There were also many doors in this room.

Naruto smirked when he saw their awe. It was quite funny. He coughed slightly to get their attention. "Now. Each of these rooms is a bedroom. They all have different themes, so choose which one you want. There is also a training ground that I will show you once you have settled into your rooms. So…what're you waiting for? Get going and pick your rooms. Shooo!" he said in a lighter tone. When they didn't move his eye started to twitch. "I don't think you understand. We're not going to kill you. You are our guests at the moment, so…" he trailed off. "PICK A FUCKING ROOM!!" Everyone jumped at this and went in search of a room.

Basically Sakura had pink, Kiba had red, Ino had purple, Shino had rainbow (he raised an eyebrow at this), Chouji had yellow, Sasuke had orange (much to his displeasure), Shikamaru had gray and black, Hinata had silver, Kurenai had blue and orange, Kakashi had blue, and Asuma had gray.

When they all came out, they were surprised at how nice the décor and material was. They were also surprised to find the dark-haired youth was no longer in the room, but had left a map on one of the tables in the open along with a note. Ino was the first one out of the rooms and grabbed the note. It went like this:

"Hey! Just wanted to tell you all that I had to leave you for a little while because I have business to attend to. Anyways, I hope you like your rooms and I left you a map in case you feel as though you would like to go out. I will see you later.

Naruto

Btw: I thought that you would all like to train for the amount of time here. So, I marked off on the map where the training grounds are and where the entrance to them is. (insert smiley face that he drew.)"

When they all came out of their rooms (some happier than others), they all read the note.

"So…" Kiba started. "What do we do now?" Akamaru quietly patted around his feet.

"How about we check out the training grounds?" Chouji asked nervously. After a few moments of quiet, they all agreed and grabbed the map. Though, the Jounin Sensei's decided to stay in the rooms and lounge around.

Two hours later:

"WILL YOU GIVE ME THE DAMN MAP!!"

"Why should I?! You didn't do much better when you had it."

"We're going the wrong way again…"

"SHUT UP!"

Sasuke and Kiba were wrestling for the map, while Shikamaru dozed against a wall, and the others just stared in annoyance.

They were all in yet another hall of the maze-like building that they were staying in. After two hours of wandering around, they were thoroughly pissed.

"Will you please SHUT THE HELL UP!!" Sakura screamed. The entire hall went quiet and just stared at her. "Thank you. Now, if you boys are too high and mighty to ask directions, we girls will." And with that, the three girls randomly walked off, with the guys quietly walking behind them.

After a few minutes, they finally found someone. It was a girl with whitish-silver hair and jade eyes. Her hair goes down to her shoulders, but she has a braid in back that goes to her butt. Her shirt is a navy blue tube top that has long sleeves with black trim. The shirt hangs slightly off of her shoulders and the sleeves go way longer than her arms so that you can't see her hands. Her pants are black and go to a few inches above her ankle so that you can see her army boots. The pants have chains and a lot of hidden pockets on them. She also has two fashionable belts and a jade necklace. And just like Naruto and Akane, she has whisker marks, fox ears, and fox tails. The only difference is that she has six silver tails with white tips (same with the ears).

They all stared at the girl for a few moments.

"Hello. I've heard from Naruto-sama all about you." She said excitedly while extending her unseen hand in an awkward way. When no one moved, she put her hand back to her side. "I'm sorry, was that gesture not appropriate. We do things a little differently here. Um, were you looking for something?" she asked politely.

Sakura, finally back in reality smiled. "Yes. We were looking for a training ground that Naruto mentioned, but we can't seem to figure out this map that he left us."

The girl nodded and asked for the map. After a few seconds, she giggled and handed it back. "I'll show you the way."

As she was walking they all started to talk. "So, what's your name?" Ino asked. She was genuinely curious about the girl.

"My name is Kaeda. I bet you're all wondering how I know Naruto-sama." They all nodded.

"Well. We've been friends for a very long time. We used to play together, but after a while, he wasn't allowed to play with me any more. Anyways…now we only get to talk when I see him in the hallways here. I'm a part-time maid."

After a few more minutes of random chatter, they finally arrived at a room just a few doors down from their rooms.

Sasuke and Kiba were definitely pissed when they noticed this, while the others just sighed in annoyance.

"Well, thank you, Kaeda, for your assistance." Shikamaru chimed in since everyone else was just grumbling about stupid maps. She nodded her head and added, "If you ever need assistance again, just ask around for Kaeda. They'll know you mean me. Goodbye." She said and walked off.

Kiba had had enough of just sitting around and opened the door. When they went inside, they were all surprised at what they saw. The door opened to the outside. It was a huge space that had clearings and dense forests. It was a perfect training ground that was secluded from the rest of the village.

'It was probably a training ground just for royalty or a select few.' Shikamaru thought.

"Wow. I-It's amazing." Hinata said with a blush.

"It can even repair itself." Chouji said after punching a wall.

"It's even got a stream!" Sakura shouted from farther in the forest.

The others were just as excited. Kiba and Akamaru had disappeared with a huge grin on their faces as soon as they opened the door. Shino had released his bugs as well. The only people not showing great excitement were Shino, Sasuke, and Shikamaru.

Kiba finally arrived back and started cracking his knuckles. "So…who wants to practice?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

With Naruto:

After leaving the Konoha teams to their own devices, Naruto had started wandering down the streets. It had been a long time since he'd been there. As he walked down the streets, he could see foxes and fox demons who would all bow their heads in respect, and a few younger ones that would pull on one of his tails and try to play with him.

He sighed in contentment. 'It certainly has been far too long.' He thought.

After a while, he started looking for someone that he hadn't seen in a very long time. Someone that he was looking forward to seeing. 'I can't wait to see my Maple-chan.'

After wandering around in hopes of seeing her, he decided to play with a few of the younger Kitsune.

"Hey, Naruto! Wanna play fox and farmer with us?" a purple-haired girl asked. The green-haired boy next to her and a few others were jumping up and down in excitement, shaking their heads yes in hopes that Naruto would say yes. Naruto sighed and agreed. Sadly, it was not as fun as he had hoped.

The kits in their excitement got a little rough with the "Farmer." In the end, Naruto had ended up with numerous scrapes and bruises. Somehow, for the life of him he couldn't figure out how, the kits had ended up tying him down with rope. 'Where did they even get the rope?!' he thought angrily.

All of a sudden he heard laughing. Not just a tiny giggle, but full out laughing. He turned around and saw who he had been looking for all day.

"Maple-chan!" he cried out. The girl started laughing even harder than before.

When she finally stopped laughing, she went up to the kits. "So who do we have here?" she asked them. They all excited told her how they had tricked Naruto into their trap and how they tied him up. "I see. I bet that was fun. How about you all run along. I'll make sure that the "Farmer" doesn't run off." She said to them, while casually slipping them some candy.

As soon as they got the candy, they ran off to play some more. When they had left, she turned around slowly and circled the blond, who was still tied up on the ground. An evil glint in her eyes. Naruto started getting nervous.

"So, Kaeda, are you gonna untie me?" he asked in a hardly disguised nervous voice. She just smirked a little and sat down next to him.

"So, Naruto-sama, when were you going to tell me you were back?" she asked a little haughtily. She was more than a little angry. "I'm waiting, Naruto-sama."

Naruto audibly gulped. The phrase "Hell hath no fury…" came to mind. "Well, you see, Kaeda-chan, I only just got back. I was trying to find you when the kits came and wanted to play. Heh. Sorry." He looked at her with puppy dog eyes. "Please let me out." He even did the pout.

Kaeda sighed at his antics. 'Such a whiner. I can't believe he forgot he's a ninja.' She thought in annoyance. "Fine. But, you have to stay with me the entire day and tell me what's been happening." When he nodded she walked over and cut him out of the ropes.

When he stood up, he cracked his neck and back. He then turned towards her and did a once over. "Wow. I love your new outfit. You look kinda bad ass." He said. She smiled.

He went over to her and kissed her cheek. "You think that's going to make up for all the time that you've been gone. You never even sent a letter!" she said and pushed him away. He sighed.

"Fine. But, I can't tell you what I've been doing since I've been gone. I've told the entire council that because I still need to tell the Hokage of Konohagakure."

"Fine. But I'm going to be coming with you there." She said.

"Deal. But, you can't be seen. You know that. What're you going to do?" he asked.

She just smiled at him with certain glint in her eyes that he didn't like. "Well, Naruto-sama, you'll have to wait and see." She said in a sing-song voice. With that, she walked off. Only then did Naruto look up and realize how late in the day it was. The sun was just setting.

"Shit. I should get back." And with that, he took off.

When he finally got back he noticed how all the teams were beat. "So, I take it you all went to the training grounds." He said.

"Well, _we_ did. But, _they_ didn't." Sakura said, while pointing at the Jounins.

"What did they do?" The three just turned and pointed at a cat in the corner.

"Oh. That would be our pet. She's not exactly friendly. But, why are you covered in dirt?" The three just sunk lower into the couch. Kurenai was the one to speak up. "Well, we went near it, and it sort of ran out the door. We tried to catch it, but it's worse than that cat in Konoha. Kami-sama. We finally got it back here and locked all the windows and closed the doors when the Genin walked in." She said. When she was done speaking, she slowly stood up and went into her room and locked the door.

"I knew she was trouble, but I didn't think it would be that bad." He said, while picking her up. The cat just nuzzled him slightly and started purring. He then turned toward the people in the room. "I'll see you in the morning and don't forget…we're leaving tomorrow. Good night."

With that, he left and the others slowly went to their room and fell asleep.

* * *

I'm sooo sorry for not updating sooner, but I had to get ready for the end of school. Also, my internet suddenly went down and I had to wait for it to come back on… So, please forgive me! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. I don't think it was all that great, but whatever. At least it's done. It will definitely get more interesting as it progresses, so please bear with me. Well, that's all for today and I hope you liked it!

Btw: I'll try to update sooner now that it's summer. Anyways, now that it's summer I should be able to type more chapters since I have no life during this time…well, besides my jobs…but whatever. Byes for now my loves!


	4. council meetings and more

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… But at least I own Itachi!!

(Itachi randomly pops up) No you don't. (Spicy Lime squeals in joy and glomps Itachi).

ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU ILOVEU!!

Please get off me.

Never.

--

Well…I hope you all liked the last chapter. If you're reading this, then you probably did…or you just don't have anything better to do. Well… here you go anyways and please R&R. Thanks sooo much for reading and I love you all.

BTW: I'm going to explain the names at the bottom of this chapter, because I actually put some thought into them for once! (Note: I may have translated wrong, so please correct me if I am.)

Onto the story….!

* * *

Last time:

He then turned toward the people in the room. "I'll see you in the morning and don't forget…we're leaving tomorrow. Good night."

With that, he left and the others slowly went to their room and fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto was up and walking around by the time the sun rose. He couldn't fall asleep last night. As he wandered through the halls, he started thinking again. He had so much to say. There was many a story that he had to tell. But where to start? He couldn't even begin to imagine how he was going to explain everything. It would take quite a while unless he skimped out on details. He shook his head. This wasn't the time to be thinking about this. He had much bigger issues to deal with at the moment. He had to go to the Council and formally debrief them on as much as he could.

Since he was the next in line for the crown, metaphorically speaking, the Council had to step in for him. Especially since… His mind trailed off on darker thoughts. He violently shook his head to clear it. As soon as he reported and all was cleared, he would officially be the ruler of the Kitsune. The new "Kyuubi" as it were. He had to put all his lessons to good work now. It would no longer be just him. What he did would affect all of his people. It was not the time to linger on the past. That would get him and his precious people killed.

He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. 'It is time.' He looked at the large tree with a stony face. With his mind at ease, he walked into the building.

He walked with a regal grace as his feet took him automatically to the Council Room. As he passed by people, they muttered a greeting and bowed in respect. Even those who were as a fox, bowed their heads and yipped a greeting. He in turn gave the traditional greeting and moved on. Now that he was going to be "officially" the Kyuubi, he had to start acting like it.

When he actually opened the door to the room, he was starting to get slightly nervous. He hadn't actually seen these people in many, many years. It was very awkward for him. Though he had to remind himself that this was not the time to be showing any fear.

"Please step forward, young one." The booming voice again spoke.

He did as he was told. He said the traditional greeting and bowed in respect. "State your name, so all may know. Only then shall we continue."

"I am Sato Nori. Son of Sato Kuro, my predecessor, and the last Kyuubi." He looked into every eye in the room. His namesake was like the password that told them that he was not lying the other day. The loud, commanding voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Thank you, youngling. We shall now continue. You are to tell us what has transpired in the years since you have left." There were some very quiet murmurs throughout the Council, but he ignored them.

"I have much to tell. Very much. I do not want to disclose any information as of yet. For I have yet to tell the Hokage of Konoha what has transpired. If I do not, there will be repercussions of the grandest sort. I have decided that since I have so much to tell, and have to repeat it twice, I will say it once and only once. I am going to return to Konoha with their ninja, and I am going to tell my story there. I will take a summoning scroll with me. When I activate it, whoever wishes to go shall appear and I will recite my tale. Until that time comes, I am silent." His gaze swept across all. "I hope I have not displeased any of you."

All was quiet in the large room. After some hushed words, the voice echoed once again through the room. "We have decided that we need more time to consider everything. This includes: your tale, your title, and your punishment. When we have decided on all, we shall summon you." The voice stopped. As the end sentence lightly echoed around, Naruto, now Nori, realized that he was supposed to leave.

He bowed to them and left.

He sighed again. 'One down, many more to go.' When he finally left the building, he noticed the sun was barely even up. 'The shinobi should be up by now. I told them that they'd be leaving early. Damn. They might have to stay later. Stupid Council takes forever! Ugh. I hope they don't get into trouble.' He suddenly changed his direction. 'I better go make sure. I don't want any deaths.' With that in mind, he wandered off to their location.

When he arrived at the rooms, he noticed something. He saw a mirror and just had to look. He liked his real face much better. Though, he noticed his hair. He was still used to his old short hair. So he made the ponytail go away. 'Much better. Though, I'm tired of blonde.' Within another second the blonde highlights in his hair disappeared, leaving his natural onyx-colored hair. He also made his bangs completely red. With the change of his hair color, the blonde tip of his ears, changed back to all black too.

He sighed in contentment. He never even realized that he had unconsciously added blonde. The kitsune chuckled at that. Nori then took some time to examine his old clothes. It had been many a year since he had seen the traditional black and red colors of the royalty.

He sighed in contentment. This was his true home. He reveled in being back. It made him feel, as cliché as it might sound, all warm and fuzzy inside. All felt right in the world. There were only a few problems that had to be settled. But, that could be dealt with later.

Then, he finally decided to just go into the human's designated area. When he opened the door, he saw a few of them seated there. Shikamaru and Sasuke were playing Shogi. Sasuke was losing pitifully. Sakura was reading a book, Shino was meditating, and Chouji was eating. They were all so immersed in what they were doing that they didn't notice the amethyst-eyed youth walk through the door.

Nori cleared his throat to get their attention. "Oh! Naruto! What're you doing here? Are we leaving now?" Sakura was the first to speak after she closed her book.

"Are the others outside?" He asked only because he wanted to make sure he was correct. When Sakura nodded, he went out.

Everyone outside was training except for the Jounin; they were looking around. As _he_ looked around, he heard the others from the room get up and walk outside. They all turned towards him. "I just wanted to say that you'll be leaving a little later than expected. Now we're waiting on the Council to make a decision." He suddenly looked up into a tree. "You can come out now, Kaeda."

There was a sudden giggling from the tree Nori (Naruto) had shouted at. Suddenly Kaeda jumped down. "Hello, Nori-sama, or should I say, Naruto-sama? I don't know what to use around you now." She sidled up to the group and bowed. "Hi. Nice to see you again."

Nori just laughed. "How about my real name. I'm so tired of the other one." He then noticed the faces of the others. "My apologies. I forgot to tell you that my real name is Sato Nori." He at least had the decency to look sheepish. The others slowly let the information sink in and settle into their minds.

Kaeda was suddenly struck by an idea. Possibly not a good one, but one nonetheless. "I have an idea on how to pass the day." She started shyly and after looking at Nori, she decided to voice it. "Why don't we take them around the village, Nori-sama?" It pained her to have to put the honorific onto his name. But, he outranked her. So it was necessary.

Nori knew that this was a bad idea. He could just tell. The humans had no idea of their customs. The elders in the village would be very displeased as well. This would not be a good thing. But, when he saw how their faces lit up, he kind of caved. 'To be young again.' He inwardly sighed.

"I do not think it is wise, Kaeda-san. They don't know our customs, and will most likely offend the elders. It would be _very_ bad to offend them." She was slightly sad, as were the ninja. "But, if I at least show them some common customs so as not to offend our people, I think it will be okay. Besides, we are not going to show them our sacred areas, or any secrets. It will be considered as a temporary peace offering if we're asked." He saw the excited faces and smiled happily.

"Kaeda-san and I will now show you how to respectfully greet people. Watch." Nori and Kaeda stepped up to each other. "Kaeda-san will start first because she is a lesser rank than me." Kaeda then showed them how to make the correct hand gesture. Her hand was curled into a fist except for two fingers, her pointer finger and her middle finger. She touched them to her lips, did a slight flourish, and then did a deep bow. Nori in turn did the same thing. Nori turned towards the audience. It was quite hard for them to forget that the person in front of them used to be the same loudmouth blonde that didn't even know the meaning of the word "respect." "This is the most basic of all greetings. There are words to be exchanged, but they would be impossible for you to say. They are in the ancient language of our ancestors. Now you try." He fixed the flourishes and the bows. The right leg shifted in front of the left, with the foot at an angle. The movement was close to that of a ballet position.

"That is all you need to know for proper etiquette. That will hopefully help you. Now if you get into trouble and someone challenges you in some way, you may need to know how to apologize. This is an act of submission that you will need to know in order to not be murdered." Kaeda walked forward and ran her thumb over her very sharp incisors. They cut a line of red across her thumb. Nori in turn did the same hand gesture as the greeting, but instead of the flourish, he placed it over his heart and tilted his head to expose his jugular. Kaeda bowed, then Nori did. Kaeda spoke this time. Her voice, as silky and smooth and honey. "The first gesture that I made was one of a challenge. It is considered a very rude insult. Nori-sama's gesture was one of submission. No matter how angry or vile one of the people of this village can be, they respect the traditions. If you do that gesture, you will not be harmed. That is, you will not if they bow and accept it. If they do not, I suggest you run." Kaeda's smile had not wavered all throughout the explanation.

"We are only showing you this one so that if something does happen, you may not be harmed. We will be with you, but if you wander off, we thought you should know." Nori took a calming breath. "So now that we're done with this tiny lesson, who wants to go sight-seeing?"

* * *

"Wow! Look at that! I've never seen flowers like this before. And they smell so pretty! Sakura, look at this one!" Kaeda giggled at the blonde girl's antics. Nori smiled slightly. Though, he wasn't paying attention to the blonde. He was paying attention to Kaeda. It had been several years since he had seen her. He loved her laughter, her smiles, the way she lit up in the moonlight. He loved everything about her. Being without her for as long as he did, was pure torture.

"Nori-sama. Nori-sama?" The onyx-haired kitsune shook his head. This was not the time to zone out. The humans could get into trouble if he didn't pay attention. "Yes, Kaeda-san?"

"I was wondering where we should take them next. We've been wandering around for a while now. I don't think it would be wise to wander around much longer." Kaeda was a little nervous. She knew how the elders would be if they found out. They would be furious. That fury would be unleashed on her Nori if that happened. She didn't want to see her love hurt like that. She sighed on the inside. 'Though, life is never fair.'

"I agree. You are correct, Kaeda-san. We should not tempt fate." He turned towards the slightly scattered group. The Genin, most of them, were practically hyperventilating with excitement. The Jounin were more controlled and examined things from a distance most of the time. Though both kitsune could tell that they were just as amazed as their students. Both walked over to the group. "Alright, we need to leave. We don't want to push our luck too far. Come on."

The Genin were upset. They were having so much fun looking at all the strange objects and plants, but they started heading back anyway. As they were heading back they were examining all the strange looking kitsune. They were quite surprised to see some of the demons have fur that looked like moss; only to figure out that it was _actual_ moss. Some demons, human looking and fox alike, had strange markings etched onto them. Others had as many colors as a rainbow, and some were strange colors like bright pink. There were just so many different things to see just on the kitsune, let alone the village, that they didn't know where to look first.

Nori noticed that while the ninja were looking at the demons, the demons were looking at the ninja. Most just ignored them like they weren't there. Others glared at them with hatred in their eyes. 'It's not as bad as I thought it would be.'

"Hey, N-Nori. How c-come there are s-s-so many different looking kitsune?" Hinata started poking her fingers together out of habit. She had noticed the looks too.

"Well, Hinata, kistune are natural shape shifters. We can change on a whim if we so desire. Most just change color out of boredom. Some change their fur and color to help them survive outside of the village. That answer your question?" Hinata nodded.

"S-So the legends are t-true."

"I have a question." Hinata may be satisfied, but Shikamaru wanted more. "Why do some have those designs on them?" He noticed a slight pause from his strange friend.

"I can't tell you. I would have to consult the Council if I was going to." He then started walking away, leaving the others and Kaeda behind. The silver-haired vixen was quick to follow.

While they were walking, they heard a rustle in the bushes. Suddenly, a fox popped out. It was dark purple with a black star on its forehead and had two tails. It leapt towards Nori and shifted into its human form. It was a female messenger with purple hair and black eyes. She had all the traditional kitsune markers as well.

As she looked at the royalty in front of her, she couldn't help but to be nervous. He had disappeared years ago and it had been a very long time since there had been any royalty in the village. She had never learned how to act around them, but was determined to deliver her message no matter what.

"N-Nori-sama?" She took a second to squash her anxiety. "I have a message from the Council. 'We have made our final decision. Please go to the Council Room immediately.' That is all." She then bowed and casually walked away.

The onyx-haired kitsune turned towards his friends. My apologies. I must go. I suggest you quickly prepare to leave." As he finished his sentence, he was engulfed in a blue-orange flame.

Kaeda saw the faces the group were making and quickly answered. "That is fox-fire. It can be used as a quick transportation method. Though it is not used often as that. Come now. You must get ready. I have to fix up your rooms for later use anyway, so I shall accompany you.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at their rooms and started packing while Kaeda started cleaning.

* * *

Nori stared at the council. "What have you decided?"

The booming voice yet again sounded through the room. "We have come to the decision that we will agree to hearing your whole story in Konoha. But, if there are any of our secrets in this story of yours, you will have to omit them from the telling. You are to also give us a written report on what has happened to you during your…trip.. We have also decided that you will have four guards as your escort. We have already decided on the guards." A scroll appeared on the ground next to Nori. "Here is the summoning scroll. You shall leave in a half hour with the ninja and your guards."

When Nori picked up the scroll, the voice made him stop. "Don't forget. You will have to make sure to pull out their memory of where our entrance is. Blindfold them before you leave as well."

Nori stood there waiting on their other decisions. "As for your punishment, we have decided that it will be determined after your tale. As for your title, we have looked through the old documents and have realized that we have no hold over the decision. The minute you walked through the gates, you became the new Kyuubi. The official ceremony will be held on your return. You will not receive the garments or brand until that time. That is all. You are now dismissed."

Nori bowed in respect. "Thank you, honorable Council. When I return you will have much to tell me. I shall see you shortly in Konoha."

As Nori walked out of the building for the second time that day, he smiled wickedly. He finally had his rightful title. 'How sweet life is.' He sighed in contentment and leisurely made his way to where he knew the Konoha ninja to be. 'I wonder what Mistress Fate has in store for me next.'

If he only knew…

* * *

(A/N:)

I would like to remind people briefly that i have (not very good) pics of the three characters on links on my profile. Sorry that they kinda suck, especially Akane. But that was because i wanted to finish them and I rushed on the two girls' pics. Not that that's an excuse or anything. So...yeah.

Okay. Let me say that I'm sooooo sorry for not writing this sooner. It's been over a year and I apologize, but I finally got the inspiration to write this chapter. Now I have an important announcement for all of you. **This fic, Bang, Bang You're Dead, and Fluffy Kink Onsen are only going to be updated at leisure. There will be far and few updates for them because they are officially on the back burner. **My other two stories, Of Crumbling Masks, and Revenge Is Best Served Cold will be my main stories from now on. I wanted to warn you all. Thank you for staying with this fic as long as you have. I really appreciate it. Just know that I promise to never abandon a story. Now on to better things…

Name Meanings:

**Sato Nori** – wise rule

**Sato Kuro** – wise ninth son

**Yuu Akane** – superior deep red

**Yoshi Kaeda** – righteous maple (note: yoshi can also mean "good luck", but for reasons that will be understood later (and for my own reasons), I'm using "righteous")

Thank you, my pets! I shall be back soon! ...hopefully. So now I bid you adieu.


	5. AN: apologies

Dear readers,

I would like to formally apologize for my overlong absence. I have been extremely busy between work, school, and other such trivialities. I originally intended on fixing all of my stories because they are very poorly written (though thank you for reading them as noticeably bad as they are). I would like to thank you for faithfully reading and I apologize to those who will undoubtedly be reading this after just starting them. However, I have no extra time to spare with all the hectic things happening in my personal life at present. As such, and I greatly regret this, I must discontinue working on these stories. I hate not continuing them, but it is necessary.

Though despair not, for I hope that a few kind persons are willing to adopt them, make them better, and give them the loving care that I have neglected to give. The only stories that I will not be giving up for adoption are Fluffy Kink Onsen (seeing as it is a co-written story) and Of Crumbling Masks (it's my baby and I hope to actually finish this one).

So if anyone is willing to adopt any story, please just message me. Once an adopter has been decided, I will send out a chapter declaring the person so that you may all continue to enjoy these stories.

Thank you so much for your patience,

Spicy Lime


End file.
